Vatican City, Italy (Enclave of Rome): Vatican Museums: Raphael Rooms: Room of the Fire in the Borgo: Ceiling Roundels
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Authors
Sheppard, Beth M.
Issue Date
May 20, 2017
Type
Image
Language
Keywords
Italy , Vatican City , Rome , Vatican Museums , Musei Vaticani , Art Museums , Sacred Art , Church Art , Paintings , Frescoes , Raphael , Raffaello Sanzio , Raphael and Workshop , Raphael Rooms , Stanze , High Renaissance Art , Italian High Renaissance Art , Christian Humanism in Art , Room of the Fire in the Borgo , Stanza dell' Incendio del Borgo , Room of Fire , Painted Ceilings , Ceiling Roundels , Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci , Perugino , Virtues in Art , New Testament in Art , Jesus Christ in Art , God in Art , Angels in Art
Alternative Title
Abstract
Description
The image is of the painted ceiling roundels within The Room of the Fire in the Borgo (Stanza dell' Incendio del Borgo; or, Room of Fire), which is one of four Raphael Rooms that are part of the Vatican Museums. These are public museums that display about 20,000 of 70K works collected by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries. The museums were founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century. Only the Louvre in France receives more annual visitors than the Vatican Museums. The museums consist of 24 galleries, with the Sistine Chapel being the last room visited. The Raphael Rooms (known in Italian as the Stanze), which precede the Sistine Chapel on a tour of the Vatican Museums, were the private chambers of several popes. The paintings in the Rooms, designed by the master but completed over 15 years (1508-1524) primarily by Raphael's pupils, depict historic events that are framed in exuberant High Renaissance style. This room was named for its most famous painting. The subject of photo is, however, the magnificent ceiling, which was frescoed by Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, better known as Perugino, ca. 1450-1523. The four roundels depict scenes from the New Testament and Christian allegories that praise God. According to "The Vatican: All the Paintings" by Anja Grebe, "The choice of program is explained by the original function of the room, which is where the episcopal court, chaired by the pope, once sat. The motif of the administration of justice is made explicit by the roundel showing Christ between personifications of the virtues justice and compassion. The other tondi depict the Trinity and apostles, the enthroned God the Father between angels, and Christ resisting Satin's temptations" (Grebe, 243).
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License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0